Free toasters from bank may be taxable

Don't Waste Your Money

If you win money on a game show, you have to pay taxes on it. If you win a car in a contest, you have to pay taxes.

But what about the toaster you get for opening up a checking account? Nowadays, even that may be taxable.

Free Tickets? Sure!

Everyone loves a freebie when they open a new bank account, whether it's $100 cash, small appliances, or tickets to a game.

That's what Don Rolfes says his mom was offered when she opened a checking account last fall.

"She started a checking account," Rolfes said. "And sometimes there are incentives for starting an account with a different institution. And the woman said 'here's some NFL tickets' and that's all there is to it."

But Rolfe's mom wasn't expecting what then arrived in her mailbox.

Congratulations, Now Pay Taxes

"A couple of weeks ago we received a 1099, which states that my mom received $120 of income," Rolfes said.

A 1099? Rolfes -- who does his mom's taxes for her -- says that means she will have to pay taxes on her free gift.

"It is an economic benefit, so it is taxable. The main issue I have with it is that nothing was discussed about tax issues, and she didn't know about it," Rolfes said.

A bank spokesman tells us that it now issues 1099's for any gift worth more than $10, due to tougher new IRS rules on gifts. In the past, the cutoff was $500.

Don Rolfes says he just wished his mom had been aware of the consequences, and would not have taken the NFL tickets had she known about it.

"Absolutely not, she is not a sports fan," he said. "She actually did not end up using the tickets, she gave them to a friend."

Many Banks Doing This

A bank spokesman tells me the tickets should have come with a letter attached explaining the gift would be reported to the IRS.